A Neiman Marcus store in San Francisco was looted Monday in broad daylight.
Video footage showed that at least nine vandals smashed display cases, took handbags and left the building before police arrived. They were seen entering a possible getaway car with their hands full of looted merchandise.
The San Francisco Police Department has not arrested anyone yet; however, according to the Washington Examiner, law enforcement is ''analyzing videos and speaking with witnesses'' to identify the culprits.
Neiman Marcus said that no one was harmed in the incident. A company spokesperson told the Examiner that ''[T]he safety and welfare of our associates and customers is our top priority, and we’re relieved to report that no one was harmed in the incident. We’re cooperating with the San Francisco Police Department in their investigation.''
The Examiner notes that Walgreens closed 17 of its stores in the San Francisco area over the last five years due to skyrocketing theft rates and executives having to budget 35 times more for security personnel to guard the stores in the area. Target also decided to limit its business hours for the same reasons, saying at the time that ''[F]or more than a month, we’ve been experiencing a significant and alarming rise in theft and security incidents at our San Francisco stores.''
San Francisco Police Lt. Tracy McCray blamed District Attorney Chesa Boudin for increased thefts in the area, saying that ''[W]hat happened in that Walgreens has been going on in the city for quite a while. I’m used to it. I mean, we could have a greatest hits compilation of people just walking in and cleaning out the store shelves and security guards, the people who work there, just standing by helplessly because they can’t do anything. The ‘criminals first’ agenda from the district attorney [is to blame] because he's not prosecuting any of those crimes as felonies [or] as a commercial burglary. [Criminals realize,] ‘This is going to get slapped down to a misdemeanor.’''
McCray added that thefts under $950 are considered a misdemeanor, and that suspected criminals generally receive citations instead of jail time ahead of their court dates. The cases may also be thrown out should the accused skip their court dates.
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